Page 9 - From Lines to Online: Automating Quezon City’s Business Permitting Process

OUR JOURNEY

GETTING THE HOUSE IN ORDER

The start of any transformation is based on acknowledging and accepting where you are
and agreeing on what needs to be done. It is important to have this baseline and start
from there.

In Quezon City Hall, a typical scenario in the past would have been the long lines
in different offices and departments. Everywhere you looked, there were lines at the
counter for information, at the counter for submission, and at the counter for payment.
Business owners in Quezon City, who just wanted to have their business permits
processed, had a difficult time.

An entire day would be spent just to submit a few of the requirements or pay the fees.
Sometimes, the list of requirements were so vague and discretionary that people
returned back and forth to Quezon City Hall, wasting productivity and valuable time.

This scenario discouraged business owners from securing their permits. They became
vulnerable to fixers who charge exorbitant fees. These business owners had no choice
but to give in because the process of getting their permits was very cumbersome
and tedious. It became a burden for people who just wanted to open and operate a
legitimate business.

This was the situation of some of the departments in Quezon City Hall and from that
moment, we knew, this has to be corrected and organized better.

Making it Easy to do Business in Quezon City

Upon the assumption of Mayor Joy Belmonte, one of her first acts as mayor was
mandating compliance to RA 11032, also known as the “Ease of Doing Business and
Efficient Delivery of Government Services Act of 2018.”

Any business operating in Quezon City needs to obtain a Mayor’s Permit which is the
function of the Business Permits and Licensing Department (BPLD). It is the first interface
of a business owner with the LGU. If any improvements had to be done, it has to be with
the BPLD.

08